The First Reporter

NEW YORK, Dec. 17 /PRNewswire/ — Verizon is planning 1,000 simultaneous in-home football-watching parties on Feb. 7 – the biggest pro football day of the year. Hosted by Verizon FiOS TV customers, the parties will give tens of thousands of people the opportunity to experience the FiOS TV difference first-hand.

During the parties, hosts and their guests can use FiOS TV’s innovative Twitter and Facebook widgets to post comments about the game on their TV screens, connecting them to other FiOS Game Day Viewing Parties and other big-game viewers across the nation.

“Once you see FiOS TV, you become a believer,” said John Wimsatt, senior vice president of marketing for Verizon. “Our customers tell us they love showing off FiOS TV to their friends, families and neighbors, and our Game Day Viewing Party will help them do just that. We’re looking forward to tens of thousands of people experiencing the biggest game of the year in a way that only FiOS TV delivers. From the stunning picture-and-sound quality to our unique interactive widgets, FiOS creates a game-changing game-day on TV.”

FiOS TV customers can apply to be one of the 1,000 hosts by visiting houseparty.com/fiosgameday and filling out an online registration form. Hosts will be selected and notified by Jan. 22, 2010. Party hosts will receive a party pack with party supplies, small gifts for guests and a Flip Ultra(TM) camcorder.

Verizon is partnering with House Party, a leading consumer activation and experiential marketing company, to plan and manage the FiOS Game Day Viewing Parties.

The company also announced a corresponding Verizon FiOS Game Day Challenge online sweepstakes (verizon.com/biggame) with a grand prize of a trip for two to Miami, including hotel, airfare, tickets to the big game, spending money and all transfers.

FiOS TV Advanced Features Enhance Football Viewing

The immense capacity of Verizon’s advanced all-fiber-optic network gives FiOS subscribers amazing new services and experiences that take in-home sports enjoyment to a level that far surpasses old-school cable. A few of the FiOS TV features that Verizon FiOS Game Day Viewing Party attendees could have the opportunity to experience include:

• Stunning Picture-and-Sound Quality: FiOS TV delivers pure HD picture and sound. Unlike some cable providers, FiOS TV HD quality is not deteriorated by the recompression of HD signals before they are passed on to customers. Plus, FiOS TV offers 100 percent digital quality on every channel.
• Pro Football Widget: Keeps subscribers up to the minute on NFL action with quick access to rosters, player details and headline news.
• Twitter Widget: Subscribers can use FiOS TV’s unique Twitter Widget to log on to Twitter to offer up their own game commentary right on their TV screen while watching the game.
• Home Media DVR: Subscribers never have to miss a game because they’re away or because the family wants to watch something else on the big screen. Verizon’s advanced DVR lets subscribers record programming on one set that can then be watched on up to six other TV sets in the home. Subscribers can also pause recorded programming on one set and continue to watch it on another – and can take the recorded game to any room without missing a play.
• Remote DVR Management: Forgot to set the DVR to record the game? No worries. Subscribers can remotely manage their FiOS DVR via any broadband connection or any broadband-enabled cell phone.
• Media Manager: Subscribers can create their own personal half-time show by using Verizon’s Media Manager service to stream photo slide shows, music and videos from their home computer or laptop to their home entertainment system.

For more information on the many unique features of FiOS TV and FiOS Internet services, visit http://factsonfios.com/reasons.html. For current cost-savings promotions, visit verizon.com/fios.

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE: VZ), headquartered in New York, is a global leader in delivering broadband and other wireless and wireline communications services to mass market, business, government and wholesale customers. Verizon Wireless operates America’s most reliable wireless network, serving more than 89 million customers nationwide. Verizon also provides converged communications, information and entertainment services over America’s most advanced fiber-optic network, and delivers innovative, seamless business solutions to customers around the world. A Dow 30 company, Verizon employs a diverse workforce of more than 230,000 and last year generated consolidated revenues of more than $97 billion. For more information, visit www.verizon.com.

VERIZON’S ONLINE NEWS CENTER: Verizon news releases, executive speeches and biographies, media contacts, high quality video and images, and other information are available at Verizon’s News Center on the World Wide Web at www.verizon.com/news. To receive news releases by e-mail, visit the News Center and register for customized automatic delivery of Verizon news releases.

SOURCE Verizon